June 17, 2008
M. Night Shyamalan
Written by RobynDeHart in Jaunty PostIf I made movies, I would want to be so good at it that all of them were released as Robyn DeHart’s whatever. All of M. Night Shyamalan’s are like that. (Tyler Perry too, but I’m not talking about his movies today) It’s just kind of cool and frankly says this guy is very proud of his product. He also can afford to do only one movie every other year. Granted he doesn’t just direct, he also writes the stories and produces the movies as well. No one-trick pony, that M. Night.
It all started with The Sixth Sense. You all saw it. Remember that first time, being so utterly shocked. It’s still remarkable to me that everyone kept the secret for everyone else as if we all recognized the perfection in the story and wanted to maintain that for everyone’s enjoyment. Really quite nice of all of us, don’t you think? In any case I was so impressed with his storytelling and directing that I became an immediate fan.
So then came Unbreakable (okay I’m skipping Stuart Little cause it just doesn’t fit). And to say I was disappointed is an understatement. Maybe my expectations were too high. I can’t even say it was the comic book thing because I really enjoy the Marvel movies. I don’t know, something about it just didn’t work for me. I think one of the main reasons is because the previews led me to believe the movie was going to be about something entirely different. I like my idea better.
He redeemed himself with me with Signs. I might even like this one better than The Sixth Sense. The symmetry is perfect and the comic timing is unparalleled. Who would have ever thought to make a movie about faith and set it in an alien flick? And to the dissenters out there who didn’t like the alien shots at the end, suspend your belief people, the movie really works well.
So Shyamalan and me were happy once again. And then came The Village. *sigh* I talked to a lot of people that really liked this movie. And I wanted to. I was really excited about it. The Professor and I went on a date (this was before we were married) and I made him go see it. I hated it. I mean really loathed. It was awkward and predictable and ordinarily while I don’t love Sigourney Weaver, I don’t usually hate her. She was terrible in this movie. The story concept was fascinating, I just didn’t think the movie did it justice. All in all, a big flop for me.
If you’ve been keeping score, you’ve recognized that every other one of his movies works well for me. Unfortunately I haven’t seen Lady in the Water yet. We just missed it at the theatre and it hasn’t rolled to the top of our Netflix yet. But it’s on the list.
And so is The Happening which opened this past weekend. Originally the previews had me thinking this was supposed to be a bigger budget Left Behind kind of movie which had me scratching my head. From the current previews, it kind of looks like another alien endeavor. But hey, who knows, secrets abound when it comes to a Shyamalan movie. The Professor doesn’t do so well with spooky movies so this one will take some talking into, but I think I can convince him to see it.
How about y’all? Are you Shyamalan fans? Which are your favorites?
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brownone Says:
Hey Robyn!! I agree with you for the most part, although I did like “The Village”. It was predictable at the end though. Oh, and I always think that with his movies, once you’ve seen it that’s it. I’ll maybe catch it a second time to see it diffrently now that I actually KNOW the secret but after that I’m done. I liked Lady in the Water but just felt it was a bit slow. I’m probably going to wait to see “The Happening” since he’s so hit or miss.
Shana Says:
I’ve only seen The Sixth Sense, The Village, and Lady in the Water. I thought they were all pretty good. We’ll probably see The Happening. There’s not much else in theaters right now…
Margo Maguire Says:
I think THE SIXTH SENSE is an impossible act to follow. Shyamalan’s subsequent work just doesn’t measure up. Not that it isn’t enjoyable - I’ve liked a couple of his movies since then - but they really don’t compare to TSS.
Amy Addison Says:
Shyamalan scares the snot out of me. I couldn’t even WATCH the previews for LADY IN THE WATER.
I give his movies a pass.
Dorothy Says:
I don’t usually like scary movies, so I usually give his movies a pass also. But, I did see ‘The Village’. Only because one of my favorite actors was in it. lol Now that I’ve admitted to that, I did like the movie. I’d never seen one of Shyamalan’s movies before, so I wasn’t aware of the twist endings he is so famous for. I probably won’t be seeing many more of his movies though. I’ve heard alot about THE SIXTH SENSE, so I might try to brave that one out….on a Sunday afternoon…many hours before it gets dark and I have to go to bed.
Fedora Says:
I’ll be hiding under the bed with Amy–I’m a huge chicken and nope, not going to see these!
RobynDeHart Says:
Dorothy, I would hate to encourage you to see it if you generally have problems with spooky stuff, but the Sixth Sense is one of those movies that we should all enjoy. It’s simply brilliant. There are some nerve-wracking, jumpy moments, but they aren’t too bad. Watching it during the day should make it far less scary and then you can just enjoy it. I actually cried through most of it because the little boy just broke my heart.
Amy and Fedora, y’all are hilarious!
Emily McKay Says:
I pretty much love the movie you mentioned loving Robyn. though I think Signs is my favorite.
I typically don’t do scary movies, but I can handle his. He does a great job of making you jump, but redeeming things in the end so you don’t go to bed scared. (Though I will admit to screaming aloud in Signs. Twice.)
I thought Signs was just brilliant. The best example in any movie, ever, of internal and external conflict lining up. Yeah, I know, that’s the kind of thing only a writer would care about. But, hey, I’m a writer and I cared.
Mary Says:
I am with you on every choice, except I did see Lady in the Water. Snoooooze. The dh wants to see The Happening and since this week is his bday, I guess we’ll go.